The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dieffenbachia plant, botanically known as Dieffenbachia amoena and referred to by the cultivar name Bryant Compacta.
The new Dieffenbachia is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of an unnamed selection of Dieffenbachia amoena, not patented. The new Dieffenbachia was discovered by the Inventor in 1996 in a controlled environment in Zolfo Springs, Fla., as a single plant within a large population of plants of the unnamed selection of Dieffenbachia amoena. 
The selection of this plant was based on its dense clumping habit with numerous offshoots and relatively small leaves. Compared to plants of the parent selection, plants of the new Dieffenbachia produce about 10 times as many offshoots per plant, are more compact, are more densely-foliate, and have smaller leaves. In addition, because of its dense compact growth habit, plants of the new Dieffenbachia maintain their size and shape under interior conditions much longer than plants of the parent selection.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by cuttings and by tissue-culture of meristem tips at Zolfo Springs, Fla., has shown that the unique features of this new Dieffenbachia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Bryant Compactaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Bryant Compactaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and outwardly arching growth habit.
2. Very freely clumping habit, full and dense plants, with typically about 20 offshoots per plant.
3. Numerous and relatively small leaves with distinct green and light green and white variegated patterns.
Plants of the new Dieffenbachia can be compared to plants of the Dieffenbachia amoena cultivar Tropic Snow, not patented. However in side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Zolfo Springs, Fla., plants of the new Dieffenbachia differed from plants of the cultivar Tropic Snow in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Dieffenbachia are freely-clumping producing many offshoots per plant whereas plants of the cultivar Tropic Snow typically do not develop offshoots.
2. Because of its freely clumping habit, containers are planted with only one plant liner of the new Dieffenbachia whereas containers are typically planted with three plant liners of the cultivar Tropic Snow.
3. Plants of the new Dieffenbachia are much more dense with more leaves per plant than plants of the cultivar Tropic Snow.
4. Plants of the new Dieffenbachia have smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Tropic Snow.
5. Leaves of plants of the new Dieffenbachia have proportionally more green to light green/white coloration than leaves of plants of the cultivar Tropic Snow.
The cultivar Bryant Compacta has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and/or fertilizer rate, without, however, any variance in genotype.